On Friday, December 4, dancers came back to Buttenwieser Hall to perform for the first time since the pandemic closed our doors on March 16.
Sidra Bell Dance New York and acclaimed saxophonist, composer and arranger Immanuel Wilkins were there to share a first version of their new work in progress, waiting.
Underneath their masks and an extensive safety protocol, our Harkness Dance Center director Taryn Kaschock Russell said the dancers and musicians were filled with a buzzing energy, just being in the room together. We’re thrilled to be able to share this video clip from the evening
Sidra and Immanuel met in June 2019 when he attended a Sidra Bell Dance New York performance and approached Sidra about working together. The work, waiting, was scheduled for a world premiere performance at National Sawdust in June 2020, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Work on the project continued in the fall with Sidra and the company collaborating on Zoom. They were able bring it to 92Y as a work in progress, with hope to continue the piece in the future.
Also last week, The New York Times dance critics weighed in with their picks for the Best Dance of 2020, Gia Kourlas naming Oona Doherty’s stunning Harkness Dance Festival performance, “Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus” performed last March inside, and outside, Buttenwieser hall, “the most memorable live dance performance before the shutdown.”
“Dance is part of 92Y’s history — and its future,” said Taryn Kaschock Russell, who is in the process of putting together a new festival for next year, celebrating emerging choreographers. Watch this space for more news on the Future Dance Festival!
The workshop of waiting was made possible in part by The Jazz Gallery who commissioned the work in 2019.